Friday, May 15, 2009

Today is Music Friday in Lancaster and my family and I will be hanging out at Building Character on the 300 Block of North Queen Street, checking out the music of Katie Becker and Trash & Glory. Hope to see you there.And since I'm bringing back the Weekend Music Game, let's look forward to summer. All of the big summer festivals are announcing their lineups. So I thought we could do our own festivals. Put your music player on shuffle/random and play the first ten songs...no skipping. Jot 'em down for us here and let us know what your personal summer festival would be like. So now, here's the lineup for my Porch-a-palooza 2009.1. R.E.M. performing "It's the End of the World as We Know It" on the Aging, but still very Hip, Rockers Stage.2. Bruce Cockburn performing "Wondering Where the Lions Are" on the Straight from Canada, eh? Stage.3. Mark Heard performing "It's Not Your Fault" on the Gone, but Defnitely Not Forgotten Stage.4. Chatterbox performing "Fallen" on the Industrial Porch Stage.5. Brandston performing "Breaking Ground" on the Back When Emo Didn't Suck Stage.6. Eric Clapton performing "Let it Rain" on the Guitar Hero Stage.7. Fleming & John performing "Don't Let it Fade Away" on the UberCool Married Couples Stage8. Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash performing "Careless Love" on the Dead & Alive Stage9. The Dingees performing "The World's Last Night" on Where Did All the Cool Punkers Go? Stage10. Starflyer 59 performing "No New Kinda Story" on the Gaze at Your Shoes StageAnd ten more performers who MIGHT make surprise appearances:The Lassie FoundationThe Vigilantes of LoveLovedrug764-HEROAndy PrattPigeon JohnThe Fire TheftThe Promise RingPony ExpressDolourAlright. Now it's your turn. If your music player programmed a festival for you, who would be performing?

I can't say I've ever been to one of the massive multi-stage music festivals. So, mine feels a little more like a talent/variety show; just with bigger people. And yes, these are the songs that showed up, in order, on my iPod. I kid you not. Okay, here we go:1. Over the Rhine opens the evening with "A Gospel Number", which somehow leads directly into2. Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh leading the crowd in a sing-along of "Like A Virgin".3. Radiohead calms the crowd down a bit (and severely depresses them) with "Exit Music (For a Film)"...4. ...before being shoved off the stage by Bob Dylan and his "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35". At the end of the song, Bob calls his son Jakob up onto the stage and...5. ...The Wallflowers perform "One Headlight". This niftily segues right into...6. ...Huey Lewis & the News performing "Walking on a Thin Line".7. Time again to quiet things down. Michael Bublé shifts the mood from pop to bossa nova with "Quando, Quando, Quando", with special guest on the keys...8. ...Linford Detweiler, who plays one of his instrumental pieces, "We Dream An Ocean In Ohio", while the stage is reset for the return of...9. ...PfR to the touring life with a performance of "Wonder Why". They then graciously allow the opening band to retake the stage and...10. ...Over the Rhine closes the evening with "She".

1. Muse would kick off with "Apocalypse Please"2. For the Foxes could play next with "Hook Line Sink-her" because that's just good fun3. Josh Ritter could take over with "Open Doors"4. She and Him would definitely be next with "Sweet Darlin'"5. Regina Spektor with "Dusseldorf"6. Santigold "Lights Out"Then it starts to mellow out a little more...7. Damien Rice "Coconut Skins"8. Mason Jennings "Something About Your Love"9. Onelinedrawing "Believer"10. Decemberists "Isn't it a Lovely Night" could end it.

Yeah, it's not perfect, but I would attend, get sunburned, spend way too much money on food, and go home feeling lighter than air.